FISHERIES DIVISION

SPECIAL REPORT

STATE OF MICHIGANDEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCESDNR

Number 16 April, 1995

Big Lake (1,018 ft)

Lake Erie (572 ft)

Ele

vatio

n

Distance

Dis

tanc

e

Huron River Watershed

E. M. Hay-ChmielewskiPaul W. SeelbachGary E. Whelan

Douglas B. Jester Jr.

Huron River AssessmentAppendix

MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCESFISHERIES DIVISION

Fisheries Special Report No. 16April, 1995

E. M. Hay-ChmielewskiPaul W. SeelbachGary E. Whelan

Douglas B. Jester Jr.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, (MDNR) provides equal opportunities for employment and for access to Michigan’s natural resources. State and Federal laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age, marital status, height and weight. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity or facility, please write the MDNR Equal Opportunity Office, P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, MI 48909, or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, 1200 6th Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226, or the Office of Human Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington D.C. 20204.For more information about this publication or the American Disabilities Act (ADA), contact, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Box 30028, Lansing, MI 48909, or call 517-373-1280.

HURON RIVER ASSESSMENTAPPENDIX

COVER: A three dimensional drawing of the area containing the Huron River watershed. It shows how the water flows from the headwaters down the landscape, gathering the contributions from the tributaries, to Lake Erie. The figure is an adaptation of a drawing provided by the Huron River Watershed Council, Ann Arbor.

3

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Northern brook lamprey (Ichthyomyzon fossor) - rare

Habitat: feeding - young: low gradient, substrate with bars and beds of mixed sand and organic debris - moderately warm water

spawning - clear, high gradient streams (<15 feet wide) - riffles with sand or gravel substrate

4

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Silver lamprey (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis) - rare

Habitat: feeding - young: sand, muck, or organic debris substrate - adults: clear river water with prey species

spawning - gravel and sand substrate - moderate gradient - moderate size stream - cannot tolerate silt - no dams

winter refuge - amnocetes burrow for 4 to 7 years in mud and silt at river margins

5

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

American brook lamprey (Lampetra appendix)

Habitat: feeding - young: low gradient, substrate with bars and beds of mixed sand and organic debris - clear cool stream water, sensitive to turbidity

spawning - clear, high gradient streams (>15 feet wide) - cold water - gravel substrate

winter refuge - sand or silt substrate for amnocoetes

6

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

Habitat: feeding - young: substrate with beds of sand mixed with organic debris - cannot tolerate silt - adults: clear cool water of Lake Erie

spawning - no dams - riffles with sand and gravel substrates

7

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) - rare

Habitat: feeding - quiet clear water in lakes, impoundments, or streams - aquatic vegetation

spawning - warm shallow water with abundant aquatic vegetation

8

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus)

Habitat: feeding - adults: in deeper water - young: in shallows - clear water, low-gradient streams, lakes, and impoundments - will feed in moderate current - aquatic vegetation preferred, but not necessary - open water fish

spawning - warm shallow water of lakes or streams over vegetation

9

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Bowfin (Amia calva)

Habitat: feeding - clear water - abundant rooted aquatic vegetation - low gradient streams, lakes, and impoundments - tolerate only small amount of silt

spawning - need vegetated water, 1 to 2 feet deep - can spawn under logs, stumps, or bushes

winter refuge - gravelly pockets among aquatic vegetation

10

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) - endangered

Habitat: feeding - clear large rivers and Lake Erie - feeds in swift water - grows in non-flowing water

11

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

Habitat: feeding - adults: deep water of Lake Erie - young: shallow water of Lake Erie - prefers warmer waters

spawning - streams or shallow beaches of lake - sand or gravelly substrate

winter refuge - deep water

12

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)

Habitat: feeding - large streams with low gradient, impoundments, and Lake Erie - tolerant of clear and turbid water

spawning - shallow areas of ponds, lakes, and large rivers - low gradient

13

Central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum)

Habitat: feeding - moderate to high gradients - rocky riffles - somewhat tolerant of turbidity - riffles and adjacent pools of warm, clear, shallow streams - gravel or cobble substrate

spawning - riffles

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

14

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Habitat: feeding - vegetation - low gradient, shallow, warm water streams, rivers, lakes, and impoundments - tolerates some turbidity and siltation

spawning - warm, weedy shallows

15

Redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus) - rare

Habitat: feeding - small clear, cooler headwater streams with moderate to high gradient - overhanging grassy vegetation - clean sand, gravel, or bedrock substrate - does not tolerate clayey silt

spawning - uses gravelly nests of creek chub

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

16

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera)

Habitat: feeding - clear water tolerant of turbidity and siltation - some current - shallow depths - medium sized streams, lakes, and impoundments - clear sand or gravel substrate

spawning - swift current - crevice spawner or on underside of submerged logs and roots

17

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Habitat: feeding - low gradient fertile streams, rivers, lakes, and impoundments - abundance of aquatic vegetation or organic matter - tolerant of all substrates and clear to turbid water

spawning - weedy or grassy shallows

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

18

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Striped shiner (Luxilus chrysocephalus)

Habitat: feeding - clear to slightly turbid streams and rivers - gravel substrate - low gradient

spawning - gravel, boulder, bedrock, or sand substrate - clear water in small streams with moderate to high gradient

winter refuge - in large deep pools of low gradient rivers

19

Common shiner (Luxilus cornutus)

Habitat: feeding - small, clear, high-gradient streams and rivers, or shores of clear water lakes and impoundments - gravel substrate - can tolerate some submerged aquatic vegetation - not very tolerant of turbidity or silted waters

spawning - gravel nests of other fish, especially those at the head of a riffle

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

20

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Redfin shiner (Lythrurus umbratilis) - rare

Habitat: feeding - clear, quiet warm rivers in weedy pools - little to no current - abundant submerged and emergent vegetation

spawning - over sand and gravel substrate in slow moving sections of streams

21

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Silver chub (Macrhybopsis storeriana) - rare

Habitat: feeding - large deep rivers with low gradient - clean gravel or sand substrate - cannot tolerate turbidity or silt

spawning - thought to occur in open water

22

Milford

Dexter

Ann Arbor

Ypsilanti

Belleville

Flat Rock

Pinckney

South Lyon

HURON RIVER WATERSHED Lak

e E

rie

Hornyhead chub (Nocomis biguttatus)

Habitat: feeding - adults: near riffles - young: near vegetation - clear water, does not tolerate turbidity - gravel substrate - low gradient streams that are tributaries to large streams

spawning - large stones and pebbles present - often below a riffle in shallow water - gravel substrate